Flat knitting machine



'2, K, BAHNER FLAT KNITTING momma Filed Aug. 4, 193a 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

I i I O i 6 L 24' D g a 42 f) I (9 1 I \ZZ 28 27 I Inventar WY/ ziness mu 5am Mam Patented Apr. 2, 1940 PATENT OFFICE m1 KNITTING MACHINE I Karl Bahner, Oberlungwitz, Saxony, Germany, assignor to Kalio Inc., New York, N. Y.

Application August 4, 1938, Serial No. 223,062

Germany August 7, 1937 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in fiat knitting machines, and more particularly to improvements in the actuating mechanism for successively advancing jack sinkers to measure the feeding yarn against the needle shanks of a flat full-fashioned type knitting machine. Machines of this general description are provided with sinker jacks which are pivotally supported in a jack head for actuation by a slur-cock to suecessively advance the yarn measuring jack sinkers. It has been found that with continued operation of the machine, the slots or guideways within which the sinker jacks are mounted, tend to become clogged with foreign matter and with oil so as to interfere with the uniform operation of the jacks, with the result that uneven operation of the sinkers takes place to produce objectionable longitudinal stripes in the finished goods. This objection is particularly noticeable in fine gauge machines knitting with small denier artificial silk threads. a

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a'novel and improved construction of the sinker jack assembly including the sinker jack head and associated jacks, to secure a uniform and easy operation of the sinker jacks.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel and improved construction of the sinker jacks and associated guide plates of the jack head whereby the necessary clearance of the jacks in the head may be reduced to prevent accumulation of foreign matter in the jack head, and at the same time to insure an adequate lubrication of the jacks.

With these and other objects in view, as may hereinafter appear, a feature of the invention consists in the provision of a sinker jack assembly including the sinker jacks and guide plates spaced to provide lateral sliding support for the jacks, in which the contacting surfaces of the jacks and guide plates are constructed and arranged to substantially reduce the number of points of contact and thereby the frictional resistance set up between the jacks and the guide plates within the areas of guiding surface contact.

A further feature of the invention consists in the provision in a sinker jack assembly of this description, of cooperating jacks and guide plates having formed in the'contacting surfaces thereof, recesses which serve as oil -depositories', said recesses being distributed over the areas of guiding surface contactin such a manner as to insure at all times the adequate lubrication of the sinker jacks in their guideways.

The several features'of the invention consist also in the devices, combinations and arran e ment of parts hereinafter described and claimed, which together with the advantages to be obtained thereby, will be readily understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic detail sectional view in side elevation of the jack sinker actuating assembly in a fiat full-fashioned type knitting machine, only so much of the machine having been illustrated as is believed necessary to show series of fiat plate-like members which are pivotally mounted in a jack head to slide between guiding plates which provide lateral support for the jacks against the harsh action of the usual slur-cock cam. Machines of this type are ordinarily provided with alternating jack sinkers and dividers, the dividers being advanced as'a unit subsequent to laying of the yarn to reform the kinks of the'feeding yarn against the shanks of all the needles. The operation of the jack sinkers during the knitting operation, is controlledalso by means of light springs which operate to yieldingly maintain the jack sinkers in an advanced position during the divide. For the proper operation of the machine, it is essential that a uniform and easy operation of the sinker jacks be secured throughout the length of each knitting section during the yarn measuring operation and I -.subsequent divide to prevent the formation of undeslrable'stripes in the finished fabric.

' It has been found that after machines of this type have been in operation over an extended period of time, there is a tendency for the operation of the sinker jacks to become uneven, with the resulting formation of objectionable stripes in'the fabric. This uneven or faulty operation of the sinker jacks is the result of a-number of factors which include infiltration of lint and viscosity of the lubricant, and a tendency for air pockets to form in the lubricant between the frictional engaging surfaces of the jacks and supporting guide plates. These air pockets wherever formed, cause a disruption of the oil film, and further tend to set up elastic tensioning strains against movement of the jacks with relation to the guide plates, causing the individual jacks to be drawn back or rebound from the proper operating positions. Attempts have previously been made to overcome these objectionable features, by making the clearances between the jacks and the guide plates as large as possible without interfering with the necessary lateral guiding support afforded by the guide plates against the thrust of the slur-cock cam. Such clearances, however; serve only to permit the infiltration of dirt between the frictionally engaging surfaces of the jacks and the guide plates, with the result that the efficiency of the machine is impaired as above set forth.

In carrying out the present invention, applicant provides a novel construction and arrangement of the jack head including the jacks and the guide plates, in which one or both of each pair of frictional surfaces is so formed as to substantially reduce the number of points of contact between the jacks and guide plates within the areas of guiding surface contact, without at the same time reducing the lateral support provided for the jacks against the thrust of the slurcock cam. To this end, one or both of each pair of surfaces are provided with recesses which are distributed in a suitable manner over the entire area of the frictionally engaging surface or surfaces. These recesses serve the double purpose of reducing the number of points of contact of the engaging surfaces, and also provide receptacles for lubricant which is thus most efficiently distributed over the frictionally engaging surfaces during the forward and back movement of the sinker jacks, and the formation of objectionable air pockets is effectively eliminated. Lint and other foreign substances finding their way into the jack head, tend to be collected from the contacting surfaces into these recesses, with the result that clean surface contacts are maintained between the jacks and the guide plates. The improved lubrication of the jacks thus provided,

also permits a substantial reduction in the amount of the clearances necessary between the jacks and the guide plates, to provide a more accurate and dependable cooperation between the jacks andthe slur-cock cam, and with the further advantage that lint and other foreign substances have less opportunity to collect on the contacting surfaces.

Referring specifically to the drawings there is illustrated the assembly of the jack head and sinker jacks in a flat full-fashioned type knitting machine. The usual sinker rail extending along the length of the machine, is designated at 4 having mounted thereon a sinker bed 6 and a cover plate 8 slotted to receive jack sinkers Ill and dividers (not shown) spaced alternately with the jack sinkers. Each of the jack sinkers I6 is provided at its rear end with the usual upwardly extending butt I 2 which is arranged to be engaged by the usual catch bar l4 of the machine. The operation of the jack sinkers I0 is controlled by means of sinker jacks l6 which are supported to turn on a pivot rod I8 carried on a jack head for engagement against the rear faces of the sinker butts I2. The jack head comprises a lengthwise extending support 20 having mounted thereon a series of guide plates 22 between which the sinker jacks I6 are supported against lateral displacement under the thrust of the usual slurcock cam 24 carried upon a traversing slide bar 26 of the machine. 'The guide plates 22 are further supported by lengthwise extending cleats 23 and 25, and are held rigidly in position by a cover plate 21 on the base support 20. The jacks are also arranged to be acted upon by the usual jack springs 28 carried in a jack spring bar 30 which is in turn secured to arms 32 on a jack spring motion rock shaft 34. A spring 28 is provided for each sinker jack for engagement with a rearwardly extending tall 36 of the jack l6.

In accordance with a principal feature of the present invention, those portions of the contacting surfaces of the guide plates 22 which are arranged to be frictionally engaged with the sinker jacks l6, have formed therein recesses 40, similar recesses 42 being provided in the contacting surfaces of the jacks I6. The recesses 40 and 42 are arranged so that lubricant trapped in the recesses will be distributed with the greatest possible efliciency over the entire area of the frictionally engaging surfaces of the jacks l6 and guide plates 22. Further in accordance with the invention, the clearance normally provided between the jacks l6 and the guide plates 22 has been reduced from that normally required, to an amount which may not exceed twoor threethousandths of an inch.

Further in accordance with the invention, the recesses 42 in the sinker jackets l6 are so arranged as to shift the center of gravity of the jacks rearwardly with relation to their pivot l8, so that the weight of the jacks does not have any tendency to press the sinkers forwardly, this operation being performed solely by the stroke of the slur-cock cam 24. In this connection it will be noted that a number of such recesses 42 are located in the upwardly extending portion of the jack l6, none being provided in the tail portion 36.

While in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the recesses 40 and 42 have been shown in the form of shallow circular indentations, it will be understood that these recesses may have any desired shape or depth, and may for example take the form of holes extending entirely through devices including jack sinkers, a sinker jack assembly including sinker jacks, a support on which said jacks pivot, and guide plates spaced to provide lateral sliding support for the jacks, the contacting surfaces of the jacks and guide plates having formed therein recesses distributed over and forming interruptions in the contacting surface areas of said jacks and guide plates.

2. In a flat knitting machine having knitting devices including jack sinkers, a sinker jack actuating assembly including sinker jacks cooperating with selected sinkers, a support on which said jacks pivot, and guide plates between which said jacks are slidably supported to actuate the sinkers, said jacks having formed in the faces thereof recesses distributed over and forming interruptions in the surface areas of said jacks contacting with said guide plates.

3. In a fiat knitting machine having knitting devices including jack sinkers, a sinker jack actuating assembly including sinker jacks cooperating with selected sinkers, a support; on which said jacks pivot, and guide plates between which said jacks are slidably supported to actu-' ate the sinkers, said guide plates having formed therein recesses distributed over and forming interruptions in the, surface areas of said guide plates contacting with the jacks.

4. In a flat knitting machine having knitting devices including jack sinkers, a sinker jack assembly including sinker jacks, a ,supp ort on which said jacks pivot, and guide plates spaced to provide lateral sliding support for the jacks, said jacks and guide plates being constructed and arranged to have a relatively small clearance for the jacks between the plates, and the engaging surfaces having formed therein recesses spaced with relation to one another so that movement of the jacks relatively to the guide plates will cause lubricant collected within said recesses to be, evenly distributed over said contacting sur- 68.

5. For use in a flat knitting machine having knitting devices including jacks sinkers, and a sinker jack assembly including sinker jacks, a support on which said jacks pivot, and guide plates spaced to provide lateral sliding support for the jacks, a jack comprising a flat plate-like member having formed in both faces thereof recesses distributed over and forming interruptions in the surface areas of said jack.

6. For use in a fiat knitting machine having knitting devices including jack sinkers, and a sinker jack assembly including sinker jacks, a support on which said jacks pivot, and guide plates spaced to provide lateral sliding support for the jacks, a jack'which comprises a flat plate-like member including a vertically extending butt portion and a rearwardly extending tail,

said jack having formed therein recesses distributed over and forming interruptions in the surface areas of the body portion of said jack whereby the center of gravity of the jack is displaced rearwardly thereof.

KARL BAHNER. 

